BAHAWALNAGAR: Taking action on a viral video clip, the Chishtian police on Thursday booked three men for publicly humiliating and abusing two labourers, who entered a wedding function to eat as they did not have enough money to buy food.

As per the first information report (FIR) registered with the B Division police, Muhammad Iqbal and Muhammad Akram of Nasirabad, labourers by profession, had entered a wedding event at Qasr-i-Farid Marriage Hall in December without invitation, as they were hungry and did not have money to buy food. The two were caught eating by some guests, including Ashraf and two others, it added.

The guests evicted the labourers and took them hostage in the courtyard of the marriage hall where they forced them to bend in a ‘murgha’ position and abused them in front of the public. The FIR said one of the three guests recorded a video of the punishment and later uploaded it on social media.

The family of Muhammad Iqbal told Dawn that the labourer had lost his job a month ago after the textile mill he used to work at in Lahore had been closed due to the recent power crisis.

The family had been going hungry for the past few days, therefore Iqbal was forced to not only himself eat at weddings, but also sometimes bring it for his children. They admitted eating at weddings without permission was inappropriate, but it was better than begging.

The district police chief’s spokesperson said police had booked the three men who humiliated the labourers, and raids were being conducted to arrest them.

Published in Dawn, january 6th, 2023